A Star's Demise
by Sheris Escalon
Summary: It should have been an easy task: Retrieve an artifact for the Black Legion. To be the one to present it to the Warmaster - or keep it for himself - a Commander enters a planet seemingly defenseless. However he must realize that this mission will turn his life in the service of Chaos Undivided upside down.


**A Star's Demise**

A Warhammer 40k Story 

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**A/N:** Hey everybody, this is my first WH40k fanfic. If you see anything amiss or if I made some stupid mistake please tell me. My native tongue is not English so I can only learn if you tell me what I did wrong. And last but not least, the Warhammer universe belongs entirely to Games Workshop. This is just a story written for fun and not profit.

And thanks to Lord of Deamons, my friendly and helpful beta.

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The body dropped to the floor, dead. Blood was pouring from the fatal wound in his lower abdomen where the bolter round had bitten through the power armor.

His murderer turned around, lowering his weapon only so far. "Who else wishes to disagree with me?", his voce rumbled from beneath his helmet, augmented by the vox system.

The question was greeted with silence. Only from the corridors of the ship some screams of agony echoed. The commander of the Riven Hope didn't even glance in that direction. Instead he regarded every Astartes on the bridge with a careful look, scrutinizing even through the reddish visor.

"Good, then let's continue with this mission. Elric, make preparations for planet-fall. You have been promoted." With this, Seth Vigilantes, Commander of the Riven Hope and Champion of the Black Legion turned around. However, he stalled mid-step and pointed to the dead body on the floor.

"Someone bring him where he can serve a better purpose than on the floor of my bridge." With that he stepped to the window.

A planet floated there amidst the countless stars, ever vigilant, ever lasting. It was bright and green, circling a single yellow sun – a Paradise World many a man would call it. It hosted only few human settlements. They called their home Thassion.

If times and facts were different, Commander Vigilantes might have overlooked the planet due to its unimportance. However the tides of time and the divination from one of the Legion's sorcerers had centered the attention of Abaddon on that pathetic little world.

The warp had spilled forth a small army of ships, each adorned with the sign of Chaos Undivided, waiting in high anchorage for orders given by the Chaos Lord on the _Emperor's Demise. _

No planetary defense systems guarded the Thassion. The invading force would hit the small world by surprise, crushing whatever lived there.

Yet there were rumors on board the Riven Hope that it was too easy in contrast to the prize they might win once the planet was offered to the Gods.

One of them had been Vitarus, the dead Astartes. Another was Elric, who regarded their commander as a fool. His hand reached for the chainsword but then he turned away, his eyes set on the numerous displays in front of him.

He had to bide time. Their commander was not to be taken without caution. As a veteran of the Long War he had followed Horus from the beginning, so the stories told. He had battled numerous foes, under the Warmaster's orders and under his own.

Still he was weak. He had not yet been gifted by the Gods. This would prove his undoing if Elric had a say in it.

He entered a command prompt and waited. When the positive reply came he looked up at Commander Vigilantes standing there like a black-and-gold marble statue in front of the gigantic window which allowed for a grand view.

"Commander, everything is ready. The scans confirm no oddities", he detailed, while, with a quick jerk of his right glove, whisked away the treacherous reports on the screen. "You can proceed with the mission as you see fit."

"Report to the _Emperor's Demise_ at once", Seth ordered and then made for the exit.

"Of course, Commander." With this Elric reached for the vox

A slight smile played around his lips, twisting his burned and deeply scarred face into a visage of nightmares only to reveal teeth that could hardly be called human anymore. A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and the smile vanished. A look of disbelief and horror flashed across his features moments before his eyes rolled back in his head and his lifeless body fell forward.

Behind him looming like a vengeful spirit stood the commander, bloody chainsword in hand.

"I hope I made myself clear enough this time", he growled. "I will allow for no insubordination or I will offer the Gods a pleasant offering of blood and pain." Again his words were met with silence.

"Now, is someone brave enough to confer to me what the scans revealed?" The dark voice showed a hint of impatience. "Or have all of you degenerated into chaos-spawn?"

An Astartes stepped forward, disgust gleaming in his eyes as he regarded his dead 'Brother' sprawled over the intercom system. He had played high and lost, a weak whelp trying to play with the elite. The Legion had no need for fools like him.

"Commander, there have been reports of unusual seismic activities on the planet's surface", the Astartes told the commander. "Especially around the equatorial regions in the western hemisphere."

"Coordinates?"

"Commander?" The Astartes looked at Seth with a puzzled expression which was met by a slight growl.

"You have very well understood my orders. The coordinates. Now." Seth's voice had dropped low, barely audible over the constant agonized sounds of the slaves outside of the bridge who served for the Astartes.

His subordinate nodded, a last glance thrown at the lifeless Elric.

"Of course. It's 34-56-4534."

Without another word the commander turned around and left the room.

**=][=**

The hangar was filled with hectic life. Astartes in black-and-golden armor hurried to the drop-pods, daemons were summoned by a group of sorcerers. The smell of blood hung in the air like a promising omen.

For a while he watched the painful ritual of the sorcerers, sacrificing a number of slaves to the will of Chaos. Cruel laughter filled the room as a group of Legionnaires walked by, fathoming how they would kill their first victim.

They were elated. After weeks spent in transition in the warp they finally had something to do, apart from hosting cruel battles between the slaves and themselves. Even Seth felt the thrill of finally engaging in bloody combat after such a long time. Finally blood would flow and this time it would not be the blood of his own crew.

"Let the Galaxy burn!", someone yelled, quickly answered by a chorus of innumerable voices. "We are returned!" And if he, Seth, was the one who secured the artefact hidden deep within the bowels of Thassion Abaddon would know his name after so many millennia, he would be granted name and reputation within his Legion. Ten thousand years he had to wait, now it was very well in his reach.

And who knew, if the artefact proved important enough, maybe he could keep it for himself to rise in power and be finally be gifted by the Gods.

His vox-system crackled as someone tried to reach him. "Commander, the daemons are ready, we'll send them down as soon you are on the surface and set up the secondary systems."

Seth had decided upon the classic drop-pod strategy so as to spread the troops out and thus minimize the risk of the scans losing track of the artifact from too much clustered together Chaos energy. "Understood. Stay ready for my command."

With that he made his way for the nearest drop-pod.  
The invasion had only just begun... as had his rise amongst the ranks of Chaos Lords.


End file.
